Open Access Pub · For editors
For Editors
Handle the manuscript impartially, commission a real review, and explain the decision
- Review model
- Single-blind by default
- Double-blind
- Available on request
- Reviewers
- Normally at least two
- Decisions
- Independent of fees and roles
The editor’s role
What handling a manuscript involves
Editors of the Journal of Farming take responsibility for the manuscripts assigned to them: for the fit of the work to the journal, for the quality and independence of the review, and for a decision the authors can understand.
These duties follow the journal's Editorial Policies. They describe what an editor does; they do not create powers, deadlines or sanctions beyond that policy.
- Scope and completeness
- Confirm the manuscript is within the journal’s remit and carries the reporting a reader will need.
- Reviewer selection
- Choose reviewers for subject expertise and check that they are free of conflicts.
- Review oversight
- Read the reviews before relying on them, and seek a further opinion where they conflict or fall short.
- Decision
- Take the decision, and give the authors the reasons for it.
- Integrity
- Refer suspected misconduct or a serious concern to the editorial office rather than resolving it privately.
Handling a submission
The sequence an editor works through
01
Check the fit and the conflicts
Assess the manuscript against the journal’s scope and confirm you can handle it impartially. Editors recuse themselves from their own submissions and from work by close collaborators; those manuscripts are handled independently.
02
Screen before review
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review.
03
Commission the review
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request.
Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Give reviewers the manuscript, the journal’s criteria and a clear request. When double-blind review is requested, editors must ensure that author-identifying information is not shared with reviewers.
04
Weigh the reviews
Reviews inform the decision; they do not cast a vote. Read them against the manuscript, and set aside a recommendation that is not supported by the evidence in the work.
05
Decide and explain
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
Write the decision so the authors know what was assessed, what is required and why.
06
Confidentiality and AI
Treat the manuscript and the reviews as confidential, and do not use unpublished material. Reviewers must obtain journal permission before using AI to assist with a review. Any permitted use must be disclosed, and confidential manuscript content must not be uploaded where confidentiality cannot be assured.
Independence
What a decision rests on
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
Decisions are independent of article processing charges, membership, editorial or reviewer roles and any paid service. An editor who comes under pressure to decide on any other basis should refer the matter to the editorial office.
The editorial board is listed on the Editorial Board page, and reviewer duties are set out on For Reviewers.
Journal of Farming · ISSN 3070-2232
Published by Open Access Pub
Editorial office: [email protected].